Most of my listeners out there should be familiar with the series of adventure books for children written by J. K. Rowling, starring that famous boy-wizard Harry Potter. The library has all the books and movies, up to and including the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Now the original set of seven books is being republished in fully illustrated format. The ink drawings by Jim Kay add just the right touch with both small illuminations and full page background washes plus several gorgeous full page paintings. Some pictures are fairly faithful to the movie adaptation, while others take a movie version of a character and mold them a little closer to the author’s original book description. These illustrated volumes are no small pocket version either. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is nearly casserole size at nine by eleven inches and over an inch thick with glossy pages.

The illustrated volumes began publication in 2015 and the library has the first two in the series with plans to purchase all seven as they become available. And just in case you are unfamiliar with the story line, it starts out with an eleven year old orphan living with an uncaring aunt and uncle in England, when an owl messenger delivers an invitation to start school at the country’s premiere wizarding school. Harry’s life is never the same.

You can get the book reviewed here, which was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by J. K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library at 1718 N. Hersey in Beloit. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”